The present invention is generally related to scanning, more particularly, is related to a system and method for determining ingredients based upon scanning a label on a container.
Scanning devices are configured to scan bar codes on a container label such that information corresponding to the product that the label is attached to is determinable. The determined information may be determined from the scanned bar code by cross-referencing the product, identified by the scanned bar code, with information residing in a database, look-up table or the like.
When such devices are portable, the devices includes a scanner and a configurable database, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,077 to Hankins. However, the Hankins device is limited to scanning barcodes provided on packaged foods. The Hankins system includes a database which is accessed on the basis of the barcodes. The database includes such information as a description of the ingredients of the food product. The Hankins system may also advise the user of any product containing xe2x80x98unacceptablexe2x80x99 ingredients to the user.
Accordingly, the Hankins database must be separately developed and maintained by the store personnel. That is, bar codes for each product and the ingredients of each product must be put into a database. Furthermore, for each new product in the store, the database must be updated. Since stores may carry different products depending upon the shopping preferences of customers residing in the service area of the store, databases have to be different and separate, or databases have to be unnecessarily large to encompass all possible products sold in the plurality of stores. Also, if the manufacturer alters product contents, the database is incorrect.
Also, if the information is to be useable at home, the relevant portion of data in the database must somehow be communicated to the user at the user""s residence. Furthermore, the Hankins"" device is not usable at the home, or at another""s home when visited by the user, because the database is stored at the store.
The present invention provides a system and method for determining ingredients based upon scanning a label on a container. Briefly described, one embodiment is a method comprising scanning a textual ingredients list on a label of the product, converting the scanned textual ingredients list into ingredients data using an optical character resolution program, comparing the ingredients data to preference data, the preference data corresponding to at least one preference for a consumer and generating a notification to a user when at least one ingredient in the ingredients data corresponds to at least one preference of the consumer.